The Cycle of Life
by Heroicagal
Summary: Some things are timeless, some things always must be. Rebirth and death are the most constant of all. An endless cycle of renewal. A miracle. Light never exists without the dark, destruction intertwined with creation and revival. A give and take, a balance struck. You can't have one without the other. Most Ladybugs learn this the hard way. T for heavy violence.


Some things are timeless, some things always must be. Constants do exist, however few they may be.

Rebirth and death are the most constant of all. An endless cycle of renewal. A miracle.

Light never exists without the dark, destruction intertwined with creation and revival. A give and take, a balance struck.

This is why there will always be a Ladybug and a Chat Noir. You can't have one without having the other. Most Ladybug's discover this the hard way.

 _Ancient Egypt_

"You dare to defy me?!" A man who thinks he's a god roars. He's a man with delusions of power and delirious with grief at the death of his beloved.

"You've abused the power you've been gifted with, you are no longer worthy of your Miraculous!" Ladybug counters, dodging the attack of the fellow wielder.

"You will not keep me from her, Nefertiti is mine! I will have your Miraculous, it has the power I need to return her to me. You can either give it to me now Ladybug, or I will pluck it from your cold and dead body."

"Your grief has blinded you and you've corrupted what once was pure for selfless gain. You will receive no help from me." Ladybug denied, getting ready to use her own powers to end this conflict. The Pharaoh, enraged and moving with the swiftness of a desperate man strikes as she lifts her yoyo into the air to activate her Lucky Charm. He moves with the speed of a cobra, but he can't outrun feline grace. Ladybug's partner has arrived and as is usual to the pattern, he intercepts a strike that is meant for Ladybug. Often times he will be battered and bruised and Ladybug will scowl and scold him for putting himself in harm's way to which he will simply laugh off her concern and make a joke about her luck protecting him.

This time, the black cat in him wins out. Sekhmet, as he is known in honor of the goddess, is impaled by the sharp talons of the demented Pharaoh as he takes on the form of half-human, half-falcon. The there is a sharp gasp from both him and his partner, but it isn't long before his eyes glaze over and Ladybug is screaming in grief and rage, tearing into the Pharaoh who dared to hurt her kitty.

He's defeated within moments, his Miraculous apprehended and the wielder himself beaten to unconsciousness in a ferocity that the gentle and kind Ladybug rarely shows. Her fists are red no longer only because of her suit but the blood of her brutality and also because of the horrible gash within the stomach of her beloved partner's stomach as she cradles him and tries to stem the flow. Her Miraculous Cure has been unable to save her partner. No amount of magic can stop a man's time from running out.

"Please." Ladybug has taken to begging. "Please Sekhmet, please."

"Don't cry." Her friend says softly. He can't bear to see her tears. "This doesn't have to be the end for you. People need Ladybug. Destruction, they don't need that. There's enough pain in the world as it is." And he gently closes his eyes. Ladybug holds back her tears until he has passed in honor of his wish to see her happy.

He was wrong. Ladybug needs her Chat Noir, no matter what form they take. So with the danger passed, the Miraculouses are returned to the Guardian. She relinquishes her role as Ladybug and retires to mourn her dead friend and love whom she never expressed her true feelings for, all the while striving to live a life that he would be proud of.

 _ **And the cycle continues.**_

 _Feudal Europe_

"You are a power hungry, selfish, cruel man. You no longer deserve your throne or your title!" Ladybug yells at the tyrant king, facing him with a bold confidence that few would have the courage to do. She is royalty herself though, and when she sees injustice it is her duty to correct it.

The madman laughs in mockery, unwisely unconcerned with what a Lady of the Court can really do when her mind is set to it.

"And you are a foolish wench whose head has been swollen by her many admirers. So you are the mysterious 'Ladybug' who has been nothing but trouble for me and my men recently? Well, I think it is time you paid for your impudence you insect." The despot ruler draws his sword, intent upon swinging at his now announced foe. "You will learn the proper manners for a woman and you will learn the proper respect for your king!"

Ladybug withdraws her yoyo, ready to counter his attacks. It seems unfair, what could appeared to be a flimsy toy wielded against a blade of steel, but Ladybug is full of surprises and the oppressed subjects know that she is their best and only hope of ever living with a fair ruler.

"All present take note, this is what happens to pitiful fools who defy me!" He slashes at Ladybug only to have his blade meet with a staff as one of his knights intervenes.

"Sorry, 'your highness' I don't see any fools here but you." The voice is infuriatingly mocking and full of the utmost disgust. Ladybug's eyes widen behind her mask.

"Cat?" Ladybug asks in amazement as the man removes his helmet.

"My Lady." The knight responds, grateful to finally be able to reveal who he was to the woman he had pledged his heart to. The humorous aspect of it is that he finds himself face to face with his betrothed, the woman he had been hesitant to give his heart over to until now when Ladybug finally revealed his true self. He had been riddled with guilt as his arranged marriage drew ever nearer and his heart swelled with love for both his betrothed and his partner. He is more than pleased to see the two he loves are really one.

"You insolent traitor!" The king roars, furious that one of his men was siding with the enemy. Cat throws him a devilish smile as he parries one of his thrusts.

"I accept my title gladly, you tyrant." Cat responds. Ladybug has recovered from her shock and the two of them are in motion as one unit, partners in fighting injustice as the Lady and the Cat were for centuries before and years to come. But this time they are invigorated with the promise of a future with each other looming on the horizon once the imminent threat of the dictator is gone.

The king sees that he will not win this fight, not when the loyalty of his subjects lie with the two champions he is facing and cannot outmatch. But he knows a way that he can make sure that he does not go quietly. He has observed the way Ladybug and the Black Cat fight and sees a chink in their armor. They trust each other. Ladybug is lax in guarding her left side, where the Black Cat stands in companionship and solidarity. That provides the opening he needs. His sword is thrust between the two, about to puncture Ladybug's side when Black Cat throws his Lady off to the side in an attempt to protect her body and shield her from the damage of the blade. The king thinks with smugness that it is too bad he has no such thoughts towards his own wellbeing.

Black Cat blinks in surprise upon impact and then he falls to the marbled floor, his blood shockingly red against the pristine surface.

"CAT!" Ladybug yells, and the king thinks with disdain that her shrill shrieking has no signs of refinement that are found in a true lady. When he says so finds himself staring into eyes that show nothing but rage and fury, a once kind and gentle soul turned to violence and brutality in the face of their world being cruelly ripped from them.

He doesn't last long. The knights take him into custody and Ladybug tries everything. But the Miraculous Cure cannot stop the sands of time from running out, the Fates have decided it is time to cut the string and no amount of magic can stop them.

"Don't go." Ladybug pleads. "Please Cat, please don't go." He smiles at her in reassurance.

"Don't mourn my Lady. Don't mourn me. I love your smile, I would hate to be the cause of its disappearance." Ladybug smiles falsely through her tears to humor her passing partner. Cat strokes her cheeks to wipe away the tears and with one last smile he leaves his partner, his role as a knight and protector of the nobles of the court fulfilled.

Ladybug retires, even though the former subjects of the mad king ask her to take over as their new ruler. She declines. They ask what they can do to honor her heroic actions and she denies any monuments except one made for her now deceased partner.

She returned the Miraculouses to the Guardian and removed herself to the country side. The country mourned with her, a wedding was canceled, a future was lost, and the potentially greatest lineage of all time never grew to fruition. The kingdom prospered after they got a new ruler, but all agreed that it might've prospered further with the Lady and the Cat reigning.

 _ **And the cycle continues.**_

 _New York, the Roaring Twenties_

Injustice occurs in every century, in every place, on every continent. The twenties is a breeding ground for criminals and gangsters and the people of New York can do for some hope in a town with neglected areas and some corrupt cops. They are drudged down by the hustle and bustle of the city and are pleased when two of their own rise to defend them. Black Cat and Ladybug are everything from the bee's knees, to the cat's pajamas and the absolute buzz of the town. Nobody knows who they are. But there's a bounty out on their heads enough to let the one who finally takes them down live like a king.

Black Cat and Ladybug are the perfect duo. Quite literally. Ladybug is a flapper girl and lounge singer at a local joint and Black Cat plays the horn there on week nights. They finally gained the courage to reveal who they were to each other and were pleasantly surprised to discover that they'd been colleagues who were working up to more than friends for a while now as their alter egos outside of costume. It was made official when they were aware of who the other was, it was the needed push off the fence they'd precariously straddling for months. They became even better at their jobs, the team solidified their relationship took off.

Unfortunately, Black Cat fell into the bad graces of some bad men after his brother failed to pay a debt to a loan shark and skipped town. As the next male in the lineage of his family, it fell to him to settle the accounts. Sadly, playing the trumpet in a club in the evenings didn't come close to putting a dent in the amount his brother owed. So the gangsters got greedy and found another way to get their money's worth. They took his Lady from him. They said that if he didn't turn over the funds, he'd never see her again.

What they didn't count on was the Black Cat showing up in a rage, his claws out and fangs bared at the attack on his Ladybug. Ladybug herself had been moments from escaping when he arrived, but she thought she would let him save the day just this once. Besides, she didn't want to blow her cover.

One of the gangsters seemed to make the connection. The Black Cat had turned full panther over the woman they dared to threaten. The Black Cat was more than likely attached to this woman in some way. Conclusion, way to get out of his alive was to use the woman as leverage.

The gangster swiftly cuts the ropes binding Ladybug to the chair they'd shoved her in and shoves her in front of him as a human shield.

"Don't even try it." Black Cat hisses, his body tense and his back arched like he's about to jump into the fray. The goon laughs, but it's a hollow laugh. He's not sure he'll be able to get out of this one.

"Kitty, calm down." Ladybug says gently. His tense stature relaxes slightly and his gaze softens.

"Lady—"He replies but the thug cuts them off, jerking Ladybug in his grasp.

"Cat's outta the bag on this one, you feline freak. I've got your Lady, and if you want her back I'm getting out of here."

"You're an idiot." Ladybug huffs and steps down hard on his foot with her heel. The man let go of her in pain and Ladybug moved to join her Black Cat. The crook didn't take that too well. Withdrawing his pistol, he pointed it straight at her back. Black Cat leapt forward and used his own body as a shield, protecting his Lady as many had before him amidst the panicked cry of Ladybug. He fell hard.

Ladybug didn't even bother transforming. She whipped her elbow straight into the thug's ribs and heard a very satisfying crack. Another hit to the face and his nose gushed red. Woozy and in pain, the gangster fell to the ground as Ladybug delivered the final blow and he was unconscious.

She didn't care about his groans of pain or the fact that the others were fleeing, speaking nonsense about outing them to the press and how they had no place to run now. She almost laughed in bitterness. Her Black Cat wasn't in any shape to be running anywhere.

"You idiot. I was taking care of it." Ladybug said, furiously blinking back her tears.

"Hey now Lady, I couldn't let you have all the fun." Black Cat slurred with a wince. "What kind of partner would I be if I let you dance without me?" Slowly his eyes started to close and Ladybug gently shook him.

"Don't go taking any catnaps on me, you lazy Kitty. We have a duet to preform tomorrow remember? It's our anniversary." Her voice caught on that last word.

"You and I both know it's time for you to take a solo act Lady. Don't cry sweetheart. I'll be waiting to pick up where we left off, you can count on it. Save the last dance for me, alright?" With that their melody ended and the trumpet left the ensemble, leaving a voice to sing a eulogy acapella.

Ladybug's identity never was outed because she disappeared. Her and Black Cat's Miraculouses were returned to the Guardian and Ladybug waited until she could resume her dance with her Kitty. She had a promise to keep, and she left the honor of the last dance for him.

 _ **And the cycle continues.**_

 _Berlin, 1989_

It doesn't happen often, but once in a while Ladybug is more of a Ladybeetle. And the Chat Noir is more female in appearance. That doesn't mean that their roles are altered, only that those behind the mask are even more unique.

And even the threat of nuclear war and opposing philosophical beliefs aren't enough to keep the two of them apart. They're drawn together by something so much stronger than war.

So when they meet as students in University in Berlin, it breaks their hearts as they end their studies. The only way to see each other is to brave crossing the Wall since their travel visas are now expired, something that many tried and failed. But they are Marienkäfer and die Schwarze Katze, capable of miracles and doing what others can't. So Marienkäfer decides that he won't let something as foolish as this international feud keep him from his Kätzchen. And die Schwarze Katze is in full agreement. Both head out to meet their perspective better half that night, hoping to be united in a world so very divided. They want to be an example others can look up to of cooperation in the face of differences and hope in the face of insurmountable odds.

Marienkäfer almost makes it across. But when he gets there the Wall is too well guarded and there are patrols swarming everywhere. Someone already tried to leap the border, sure that they would be able to be one of the lucky few who got through. Marienkäfer silently mourns for the unknown victim, his heart going out to their loved ones.

It wasn't until he got the news later from a distraught kwami named Plagg that the pieces fell into place. His brave Kätzchen didn't want him to have to abandon his home in West Berlin. She was coming to be with him there, willing to give up all she had for the sake of him keeping his life and her having a part in it. It wasn't fair.

A year later the Wall fell. Among the many murals that dotted it there was one that many found strange. It was of a majestic and proud young woman dressed like a cat, surrounded by roses and in a peaceful sleep. To this day people take pictures by it and wonder who the artist could be. Some say it is a metaphorical expression of the death of innocence and grace in the face of war, others say it is a political statement about the bad luck that the conflict between the East and West would bring on them all.

There's a little old man who sits at a booth by the Wall, selling remains of it and pictures as well as telling stories. His theory is one of the best.

He says it is in memory of the many victims who lost their lives in needless bloodshed and division. But most of all, it is an homage to a deceased lover and heroine whose potential was snuffed out by the lack of civility and compromise that can be found in humanity. It is a shrine and a warning to those who are eager to tread the path of war without first seeking an alternative.

But why the cat suit? People often ask. He will shrug slightly and reply that this is how her lover wanted the world to remember her. Free spirited, ferocious, and proud. And if you ask what happened to the artist, he'll sigh and reply that he had to go. Because without his other half there was no reason to keep up his charade any longer.

The Miraculouses are once again returned to the Guardian.

 _ **And the cycle continues**_

 _Modern Day Paris_

There are some things that never change. Men are desperate for power and selfish in the way they go about gaining it. They care little about the innocent victims they pull into their fights, or the carnage they are bound to leave in their wake.

Hawk Moth never thought he would be such a man, but life has a way of surprising you. He needs the Miraculouses of Ladybug and Chat Noir as much as he needs to breathe. He needs their power to restore what he has lost.

He needs the balance that they provide and he knows that in order to return his wife to him, a life must be lost in order to keep the scales in alignment.

Gabriel Agreste detests bloodshed but imagining living the rest of his days without his beautiful wife, this is what scares him into action. This is what drives him. His son needs her, and Gabriel needs her. That is more than enough to excuse his actions in his mind.

The final battle is anticlimactic. Ladybug and Chat Noir are exhausted as he has infected each and every one of his akumas again and sent them on a rampage all at once. Days on end without sleep and continual beatings are enough to wear anyone down.

So when the two young heroes come to his door, they are anything but ready for a fight. Chat Noir seems especially distracted by his lair's location, and Gabriel hopes it isn't for the reasons that his head is screaming at him. All the same, to be sure that his greatest fear doesn't come true, Ladybug will be the sacrifice in order for his wife's return. Pharaoh had the right idea all along, she was the perfect offering.

Chat Noir is taken down easily as it is obvious that he has taken the greater amount of strikes in the last few days. He falls with little effort on Gabriel's part.

Hawk Moth toys with the idea of using him in order to get Ladybug to surrender, but he doesn't have the heart to carry out any threats made directly to Chat based upon his suspicions. So he incapacitates the feline hero and pulls out all the stops on Ladybug. The young woman has heart and brains, but she is distracted and worried for her partner and plain exhausted. It almost pains him to know that he's going to destroy someone who so much reminds him of his darling wife, but sacrifices must be made.

So when he finally has Ladybug at his mercy, he offers his sincere apologies to the young woman who must give her life for his wife's. The final blow is about to be dealt, but Chat Noir sees what is about to happen and gets a second wind.

His cane doubles as a blade and the blade he was about to use upon Ladybug he uses instead upon her partner. Both cry out in alarm as a mortal wound is dealt when Chat Noir inserts himself right in between his Lady and the man who has tormented them for over a year with his continual attacks and attempts on their lives.

"CHAT!" Ladybug screams for her partner, at a loss of what to do. Her Lucky Charm has been used and failed and there is little time left. She can use her Miraculous Cure but Tikki has warned her that it could do little to fix any serious damage dealt to a human being. Some things can't be set right even with magic.

"Don't. Touch. Her." Chat spits out through a mouth full of crimson. Gabriel is gaping at the young man, his heart pounding in his chest. He desperately hopes that this boy is a stranger, not who he thinks he really is.

"Chat Noir, stay awake!" Ladybug is ignoring Hawk Moth now, all attention upon her injured partner whose eyes are glazing over.

"It's alright my Lady. It's my job to protect you, remember?" Tears are streaming down Ladybug's face which he gingerly wipes away.

"Chat, please." Ladybug's earrings beep in warning but she doesn't care. Chat's ring is almost out of power as well and Gabriel decides that he has to let this scene play out before he acts. If the young man isn't who he suspects, then this will have to do for the blood demanded for the balance to take hold once again after his wife is returned to him. If he is who he thinks he is, then Gabriel is too late already because he was deadly precise in his delivery.

"It'll be okay Ladybug. I promise. You'll be okay." With that Chat Noir closes his eyes and his ring beeps one final time. A flash of green and his transformation melts away. The sound of despair and grief that is wrenched from Ladybug's throat matches the internal dialogue of Gabriel.

"No! NO! Cha—Adrien! Adrien, wake up! I can't lose both of you!" Hawk Moth's heart of stone melts at the broken and bloody body of his son and the tortured cries that the heroine screams to his unresponsive son. A last beep and Ladybug's transformation is gone as well, leaving a frightened and desperate girl in her place. She seems familiar in some way.

It hits him like a ton of bricks. This is the young designer that Adrien had been speaking about so often, whom he had brought with him to numerous functions. This was the girl that he had tried to get an internship for and called one of his first friends. And he had tried to kill her, only to succeed in murdering his son.

"You're a monster!" Marinette Dupain-Cheng says through her tears, her eyes bloodshot and her voice quavering. Then she asks one single word and Gabriel Agreste's world comes crashing down.

"Why?" The heartbroken question crumbles his resolve and he too releases his transformation. Ladybug looks from him to Adrien in horror and scrambles backwards, burying her face in his shoulder as she pulls him close in pain and disbelief.

"—I just wanted her back." Gabriel says. There is nothing but the sound of Marinette's muffled sobbing and Gabriel's tears fall silently as well. He doesn't resist when the police show up and take him into custody. He doesn't even out Ladybug to the media that shows up for the details on his arrest. Not that it matters.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng makes sure that all of Paris knows just who they lost that day. Adrien Agreste and Chat Noir were lost defending the city and heroine they both loved more than their own life.

A memorial is built in Chat Noir's honor. Ladybug is never seen on patrol again and Marinette Dupain-Cheng and her family move somewhere far away in order to give her a fresh start in life after the many things she has lost.

For you see: Some things are timeless, some things always must be. Constants do exist, however few they may be.

Rebirth and death are the most constant of all. An endless cycle of renewal. A miracle.

Light never exists without the dark, destruction intertwined with creation and revival. A give and take, a balance struck.

This is why there will always be a Ladybug and a Chat Noir. You can't have one without having the other. Most Ladybug's discover this the hard way.

Once one is gone, the Miraculouses are returned to the Guardian.

 _ **And the cycle continues**_

 _A/N: This was brutal and cruel and unfair. I know. But I can't get this idea out of my head that all Chat Noirs tend to meet a tragic end for the sake of their Ladybugs. I blame the stories where Plagg dislikes Ladybugs for what they do to his Chat's. I blame the fanart that shows Adrien dying for Marinette. Really, this plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone and I wanted to explore the Ladybugs and Chat Noirs throughout the ages. Sorry it turned out so dark._

 _The whole idea of one person needing to die to bring another back is totally a rip off of Merlin. But I liked the whole Yin and Yang, counterbalance theme Ladybug and Chat Noir have going on and I felt that it fit. And besides, Hawk Moth's threats tend to be pretty deadly when you really look at them. He often says things like they'll "be no more"._

 _And yes, I think Gabriel is Hawk Moth. The picture in Hawk Moth's Miraculous is of Adrien's mother. Who else could he be?_

 _Thanks for reading._

 _Heroicagal_


End file.
